Joe Lolley, who impressed on his full home debut fired the ball across the box for Tomlin to slot into the bottom corner and lift the lid on a City Ground which had witnessed a much-improved second-half display.

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The Reds had earlier gone close when Tendayi Darikwa hit a post and saw an effort cleared off the line, while Ben Brereton had a strike ruled out in the first half, which Karanka said was the least they deserved for their efforts on the night.

Tomlin’s smart finish was just his second goal of the campaign and, somewhat ironically, his first since a 2-2 draw at Reading for Cardiff in mid-December.